Woman Uses Dollar Tree Pencil Holders To Upgrade Boring Solar Lights

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It's not unheard of to dress up a boring table lamp, floor lamp, or light pendant. People add eye-catching and customized made-from-scratch shades, for example. But have you heard of lights made with pencil cups? That's what CraftyBeach, a YouTube content creator, did to transform boring solar lights. In a short reel she posted onto her Facebook page, she converts cylindrical solar stake lights into a string of lanterns with an industrial-chic feel to hang on the porch or anywhere else light is needed without electricity. And she did it on a budget by sourcing all the items from her local Dollar Tree. The crafter used just three light stakes for the demonstration, but you can do this with as many lights as you like.

In her video, CraftyBeach notes that the store's copper-toned LED pathway lights nearly match Dollar Tree's Jot Rose Gold Wire Pencil Holders in both color and size, minus the stakes. She twists the stakes off and then places one light into a pencil cup with the solar cell facing up. Since the light is slightly taller than the cup, she uses wire cutters to trim a small hole in the bottom of the cup to accommodate the nub protruding from the bottom of the LED module. After repeating these with the remaining cups, she strings them together with cups and solar panels facing up, using Dollar Tree's Garden Collection Planter Pot Chain.

DIYing a strand of these lights is easy, and you can customize them to make a unique set for your home. Dollar Tree changes its stake lighting selection occasionally, so you might not find this exact product at your store. However, you can find similar ones such as Daybetter's 12-Pack Solar Pathway Lights through Walmart and Luminar Outdoor's 10-Pack Solar LED Copper Finish Pathway Lights through Harbor Freight. Temu also offers similar lights. Check to see if they fit before purchasing them; the pencil cup is 3.1 inches in diameter by 4.3 inches high. The stakes should also be removable. If the lights are a different color, such as black or steel, you can always spray-paint the pencil cups to match. Also find out what color temperature the light is beforehand. You might prefer a warm white as opposed to a cool daylight tone. (For guidance, check out our guide to choosing the right bulb color.) Try stringing them with options other than chain, such as nautical rope, jute cord, or thin paracord. Finally, why not consider making your own string light poles to hold them?

One very important caveat we should mention is that while outdoor light fixtures are usually waterproof, the iron-wire pencil cups and metal chain planter hangers probably aren't. To play it safe, bring your lights indoors (assuming you use them out on the porch or patio) when the weather looks dismal. You can still charge the lights in the meantime by placing them on a sunny windowsill.